GUWAHATI: Shootings and arson continued in India’s northeastern state of Manipur, where clashes between forces and tribal insurgents the previous day killed five people.
According to Voice of America, the state, which borders Myanmar, has been roiled by violence for weeks after members of predominantly Christian tribal groups grapple with the Hindu majority over its demands for unique economic benefits.
Over 75 citizens have been killed in the fighting, the state’s worst ethnic clashes in decades. Hundreds have been wounded, and more than 35,000 have been displaced.
Authorities said Amit Shah, Indian Home Minister, was expected to arrive in the state capital, Imphal, to review the security circumstance and help restore peace in the state, where a curfew is in place, and the internet has been shut off to stop rumours from spreading.
The violence prompted the central government to rush thousands of paramilitary and military troops to the state, and the security forces caused several recent deaths.
The state’s chief minister, N. Biren Singh, said government troops killed 40 Kuki insurgents. It wasn’t clear whether the figure was part of the overall death toll.
“The fight isn’t between communities; it is between Kuki rebels and government forces,” Singh told reporters.
He said insurgents fired at people and burned homes, prompting forces to counter their attacks.
The Press Trust of India news agency reported that the clashes occurred after the forces began searching for arms looted from police stations.
Buildings and homes burned in some villages, with plumes of grey smoke filling the skies. Troops fired in the air and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the mob that attempted to take arms from a police station near Imphal, said Sapam Ranjan, the state government spokesperson. He said 1,041 guns and 7,500 rounds of ammunition were looted in recent weeks, with authorities recovering about 500 weapons.
Gunfire was reported in districts near the capital, Military officials said. They said Homes were set ablaze in the Leimakhong place.
The violence first broke out on May 3 after protests by more than 50,000 Kukis and members of other predominantly Christian tribals against the majority Meitei Hindu community’s demand for a special status that would give them benefits including access to forest land, cheap bank loans, educational and health facilities, and more government jobs.
The Kuki and other minority leaders said the Meitei community is comparatively well-off and that granting them more privileges would be unfair. The Meiteis said employment quotas and other benefits for the tribespeople would be protected.
Two-thirds of the state’s 2.5 million citizens live in a valley that comprises roughly 10 per cent of the state’s total area. The Kuki and other tribes mainly live in the surrounding hill districts.
